“How can  a doctor become more  right-brained and creative?”

 Doctors can be right-brained!

Doctors are often considered people who use their left brain more than their right brain. The left brain is associated with logical and analytical thinking. However, the right brain is associated with artistic and creative abilities.

I’ve talked about having hobbies and having a work-life balance in many of my previous posts. Often, I’ve recommended not just doctors but people in 9-to-5 jobs to use their creativity. This is especially for those people who use little to no creativity at work.

Ask doctors to create a PPT on the same topic and you see a variety of colors, ideas, and styles. It’s so evident that they’re all talented and have a creative side to them. I feel engaging the creative right brain is cathartic, especially if you’ve had a trying day at work.

THE EVIDENCE FOR RIGHT-BRAINED DOCTORS

Dr. Caroline Wellbery and Dr. Rebecca McAteer of the Georgetown University School of Medicine published an essay in the journal Academic Medicine.

They proposed a curriculum for an eight-week “arts observation seminar” which encompassed poetry, photography, and descriptive writing.

I say we don’t need any research. Take a look at Tess Gerritsen. She’s the author of the famous Rizzoli & Isles books and is a pathologist. Other authors like Ilene Wong, a surgeon, and anesthesiologist, and Carol Casella, have taken to writing books. Like me!

Then there’s Scott Carle, an occupational physician who paints and you can even watch him paint one of his masterpieces live. Another painter is Dr. C Michael Gibson, an interventional cardiologist, who finds time to create beautiful artwork. I follow him on Twitter and he’s such a talented and passionate physician who’s funny and smart.

Chip Thomas, a physician, has been an exceptional photographer. His photographs of the Navajo nation are deep and arresting. Victor Wahby is a musician and Founder & Maestro of the Medical Musical Group Orchestra. Dr Mark Seraly’s sculptures and his pieces are very sought after in the art world. These are just a few examples of people who are creative and practicing doctors.

So how can you engage your right brain?

FIND WHAT YOU LOVE

Before you start thinking about what you should take up. Look back at your own life. An art class, or photographs, something that you loved. All of us took minor classes during our junior years in school or college. It could have been a sport. Don’t think about what can make me more money. Think about what is it that I love to do and go for it. This is something you could do every day without ever getting bored of it. I can write and create stories every day and I would never be bored.

FIND WHAT FULFILLS YOU

You could do a lot of things you love but in addition to that does it fulfill you. Fulfillment is a feeling where you feel you’ve achieved your purpose in life. I like playing the piano but writing and hosting my podcast fulfills me. It makes me believe that this is why I’m here on this planet. I was born to do this.

FIND WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Right-brained activity could be as simple as going fishing. Does it make you happy? Does it bring a smile to your face? When you do it, do all your worries melt away and does excitement tingle your skin?

CUT OUT EXTRAS

Cut out the extra crap in your life. We spend hours on mindless television or long commutes. Are there any time wasters in your life? Cut them out and use that time to focus on this new creative activity that you love. At one point of time I was watching, three hours of TV per day! 😮 Now, maybe twenty minutes a week! That’s 18 hours extra for writing, playing the piano (sometimes), and podcasting!

Just start

Don’t wait for approval or for you to become a professional. As doctors, we tend to be hard on ourselves. We’re taught to be perfectionists and overachievers. Turns out in the creative world, it’s only through mistakes we get better. So start somewhere but start.

Do it every day

Everyone knows, you do something for twenty one days straight, it becomes a habit. So start doing some of your bit every day. Paint for five minutes daily or practice the guitar every day. Just do it every day until it becomes second nature to you. So much so that you program yourself into this easy, stress-busting activity daily. I have a target, x words in one day, so butt in the chair, and write, even if I’m not inspired.  Don’t wait for inspiration!

Share it with others

Doctors are too scared about what people will think. We have an image, a persona to maintain. I say share your talent with other people. Start with your family, endure their criticism, and improve. At some point join a local group and find artists like you. A choral group if you sing sacred music or a like-minded set of individuals. As medicos, sometimes we’re too caught up in our small hospital worlds and mini-fiefdoms, we lose sight of the reality of the world at large.

DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

While it helps to have non-medical friends and contacts to keep you grounded, they also help with creativity. Network with fellow artists and you will find yourself learning and growing in your craft. The creative world is far more generous than the medical world. The competition isn’t as cut-throat and people will share your work willingly. Because in the artistic right-brained world, people believe in karma and they also believe that a rising tide floats all boats.

GET A MENTOR

Get professional help. If you take your craft seriously then sign up to be mentored or coached by a professional. Learn techniques and ideas from other artists who’ve gone before you.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Don’t lose sight of what this really is. Remember your life and relationships are important. Don’t use this as an excuse to get out of your responsibilities to your spouse or family. This is to balance out your work. If at some point you feel like you can make a go out of this, develop it into a side gig or business over five years. Don’t quit your day job yet! Your creative right brain will still need your analytical left brain.

ARE YOU RIGHT-BRAINED?

I’m sure there will be people who will bring me research and say that there’s no such thing as right-brained people, but as someone who does both aspects I will have to refute that argument. Are any doctors out there, who have managed to use their right brain more than their left? I’d like to know.